Senegal proposes 20 per cent gambling tax targeting player winnings and operator profits
New taxes could cut player payouts, squeeze operator margins and reshape Senegal’s regulated betting industry.
Senegal.- Senegal has proposed a 20 per cent tax on gambling winnings and operator profits, a move set to boost state revenue, tighten industry margins and reduce player payouts.
The proposed measure is part of draft law No. 17/2025, included in Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s economic and social recovery plan (PRES), marking one of the most significant changes to the country’s gambling landscape in years, according to a Seneweb report.
Under the draft law, the state would withhold 20 per cent of all player winnings. Operators would also be required to hand over 20 per cent of their share of prize pools to the state-run gambling monopoly, effectively taking a cut of both player winnings and operator earnings.
The government’s explanatory memorandum states that the system “favours the use of transactions following structured and secure circuits”, signalling a push toward traceable, digital payments and away from unregulated cash flows that have long characterised Senegal’s gambling sector.
If enacted, players would take home one-fifth less on every win, while operators would divert a matching portion of their prize pools to the state. Government officials present the measure as a step toward financial inclusion and modernisation, but gambling sector analysts warn it could discourage betting in the legal market and push activity underground.
Broader taxes hit money transfers and excise
The draft law also includes a 0.5 per cent money-transfer levy, capped at FCFA2,000 (€3) per transaction, and extends a 1 per cent stamp duty to all cash payments. Electronic transactions from mobile money to merchant code payments would fall under the new framework, with exemptions for small-scale withdrawals under FCFA20,000 (€30) and for electronic money conversions.
The draft would also raise excise duties on alcohol and tobacco and expand vehicle taxes to cover all imported passenger cars as part of a wider effort to boost domestic revenue.
While the government frames the gambling tax as a step toward modernising the sector and ensuring traceable payouts, industry experts say the 20 per cent levy could immediately reshape betting behaviour, test operator margins and redefine Senegal’s regulated gambling market.
The measures remain proposals until draft law No. 17/2025 completes the legislative process, but if approved, Senegal’s gamblers and operators will soon be playing under tougher, state-supervised rules.
